Gillian Welch - Soul Journey

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Music reviews of Soul Journey

Music Review: so much more than One little song
Rating: 5 Stars

The arrangements on these tracks are mostly simple - but don't make the mistake of reading `simple' as `empty' or `unimaginative'. Welch's voice and words are framed perfectly by her guitar and occasional, gentle banjo work - and as listeners have come to expect and appreciate, David Rawlings' accompaniment couldn't be more apt. If you've ever had the pleasure of seeing these two perform live, I'm sure one of the first things you noticed was how much in tandem they work - they're joined so closely in spirit that they accompany and play off each other without even looking, like four hands controlled by the same mind. This intermingling of talents translates nicely into their studio recordings as well - there's not a single note out of place or superfluous here. Each song is arranged to suit its lyrics and mood and emotion - nothing comes across as being added just because it was available.

`Miss Ohio' starts out the album in fine fashion with a theme explored by Welch in the past - the dichotomy that lives within all of us: knowing what is `right', what is `expected' of us, and at the same time giving in to the yearning inside of us to try something different, to `live out that fantasy' as the lyrics say. Take chances: "Oh, me-oh-my-oh, would you look at Miss Ohio - she's a-runnin' around with the ragtop down. She says "I wanna do right, but not right now"'. Welch repeats this phrase several times in the song, driving home the point.

`Wayside/Back in time' is a look back at the speaker's life - again, questions about `what could I have done different?' and `what would have happened if I...?', things we all ask ourselves from time to time. `Make me a pallet on your floor' and `I had a real good mother and father' are a couple of traditional tunes given very effective performances here - and Welch has personalized them a bit with the addition of some added original lyrics (the latter song being especially heartfelt, I thought).

When I read the review of this album in ROLLING STONE (they only gave it two stars - go figure), I noticed a comment about the `bluegrass arrangements' on some tunes. I suppose the reviewer was referring to `No one knows my name' - but the presence of a banjo and a fiddle doesn't make a song bluegrass. The song contains another reference to parents - combined with Welch's references to hindsight and rebellion, there's an air of personal nostalgia to some of the recording, but it never gets maudlin. The honesty in her lyrics and in her voice keeps it vital.

The masterpiece on this album - for me, at least - is `One little song'. It's a deceptively simple tune, a hauntingly beautiful melody, accompanied only by Gillian's gently-picked guitar - but the lyrics are some of the best I've ever heard addressing the ache in the heart of the songwriter: `There's gotta be a song left to sing, cause everybody can't've thought of everything...' For me, this song stands head and shoulders with `Orphan girl' and `Acony bell' on REVIVAL - it's destined to become a classic in her repertoire, sure to elicit a great response from her listeners.

`I made a lover's prayer' is likewise perfect - and the album ends with an upswing of energy in the last song, `Wrecking ball'. This final song, as well as `Miss Ohio', and, to some extent, `Wayside/Back in time' and `One monkey', show a bit of Gillian's more forceful side - but none of them are over-done. The gentle songs are exceptional - the production values held and applied by Rawlings here are excellent, giving each track an up-close, intimate feel. It's almost as if Gillian and David were sitting in your living room, playing just for you. Everything here is just as it should be - and aren't we the lucky ones for that...?

Description of Soul Journey

Country CDs

• Music > Styles
• Folk
• Pop
• Rock